The women take centre stage in the French Open on Thursday when the two semi-finals are played out on the Philippe Chatrier Court at Roland Garros. By the end of the day we will know the two women who will compete for the final Grand Slam title of the year.
We have two very different semi-finals to look forward to with a great opportunity for the two players in the first one and two more experienced women battling it out to reach another Grand Slam final in the other one.
Day 11 Recap
It was a pretty ordinary day on Wednesday in terms of the four favourites all winning their matches. Petra Kvitova and Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame Laura Siegemund and Andrey Rublev in straight sets respectively while Sofia Kenin and Novak Djokovic were made to work harder for their progress. Kenin had to go to a deciding set to overcome Dani Collins while Djokovic came from a set down to beat Pablo Carreno Busta in four sets.
It was a day that followed the script of the tournament so far in that we had a winner and a loser although this time the loser wasn’t so hurtful as it sets up an opportunity for an outright return on Friday as Tsitsipas brushed Rublev aside in quicker fashion than anyone expected. We got most of the losses back when Pablo Carreno Busta took a set off Djokovic to ensure that their match sailed beyond the 28.5 game line that we went over on.
Special Offer
Opt in and place 5 accumulators either in a Boylesports shop or online and get an acca free! Click the image below to bet. ALL CUSTOMERS! 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Iga Swiatek vs Nadia Podoroska
Two women who you would have thought a semi-final in this tournament would have been a pipe dream for at the start of the event meet for a place in a maiden Grand Slam title when Iga Swiatek takes on Nadia Podoroska who has created a huge story this week.
It goes without saying that nobody would have predicted this semi-final but one of the reasons why these two are in it is because they have opened the draw up themselves. Swiatek has taken care of Marketa Vondrousova and Simona Halep while Podoroska has dealt with Yulia Putintseva and Elina Svitolina to become the first qualifier to make the last four here in quite some time. Both women clearly deserve their place in this semi-final but there are a lot of unknowns in terms of who will handle the occasion the best. Swiatek hasn’t dropped a set in the tournament yet and in normal circumstances I’d expect that record to remain the case but these aren’t normal times so I’m happy to leave this match alone.
Sofia Kenin vs Petra Kvitova
The second semi-final is much the better of the two on paper at least as the Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin takes on the twice former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in a match in which whoever wins will be a pretty warm favourite to win the title on Saturday.
Much like Swiatek in the first semi-final, Kvitova has come through the draw without dropping a set so far although it has to be said that she hasn’t played anyone of any note. You can only beat what is in front of you but Kvitova hasn’t done anything that hasn’t been expected of her. Kenin has struggled her way to this stage in terms of having to come through four deciding sets but she has generally gotten stronger the longer that she has gone about her work and although her opponents haven’t been ranked high, one or two have been awkward.
I’m expecting a good quality contest here and it is one I think Kenin can come out on top in. I like that she is battle hardened this week and it shouldn’t be forgotten that both these women played on Wednesday and are backing that up here. Kenin is the younger woman so that might suit her. The American beat Serena Williams here last year so she is adept at absorbing power and transferring her own onto the opponent and over three sets I fancy that, combined with her superior movement, can be the deciding factors in this one.
Tips
WON – Back S.Kenin to beat P.Kvitova for a 3/10 stake at 2.55 with Betfair
Back her here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
